Flavours Restaurant

Where: 2 Blake Crescent, Trafalgar

Open: Tuesday to Saturday noon to 1.30pm and 6 to 7.30pm, Sunday noon to 1.30pm.

Call: 065 579 4672

Flavours was always one of my favourites on the South Coast. I liked their focus on good simple ingredients to produce, well great flavours. And I was sad when I heard that the restaurant had burnt down a couple of years ago.

But you can’t keep a good concept down. The team have reopened temporarily inside a gallery in Trafalgar, while they wait for their new premises to be built in Southbroom. We passed the new development under construction earlier that day. It will be a great addition to the South Coast resort. Some time next year is the likely date.

Tempura prawns on an avo and papaya salsa.

Phyllo wrapped snails in a three-cheese sauce.

The gallery may be a little bit Spartan, but it's comfortable and the welcome is warm.

Flavours has a small but interesting menu which is spiced up with daily specials. Everything is freshly prepped and relies simply on good cooking in the kitchen. It offers a very Mediterranean feel with some Asian dishes adding punch.

One thing that hasn’t changed is the home-baked bread still comes out with a good authentic hummus. We mop it up greedily.

Starters might include garlic prawns in a tomato and basil sauce on croutons, or an aubergine stack with tomato mozzarella and fresh basil pesto. On a chilly night I’m tempted by the tomato soup with pesto and black olive crostini. There’s also a hot and sour Asian prawn and noodle soup. Duck spring rolls are served with an Asian sambal.

Colin relishes the tempura prawns on a salsa of avo and papaya with a curry mayonnaise (R97). It’s a lively dish. The Glass Guy is in raptures over the crispy phyllo snails (R88) off the specials menu. These are served in a deeply flavourful three-cheese sauce, the super crisp phyllo parcels adding a new dimension to traditional treatments. I managed to prise one of the delicious parcels off him.

Asian inspired duck with slaw and potato wedges.

I too opted for a special - wok fried mussels in a fragrant basil rich sauce (R88). This was good cooking.

Mains take in spicy Moroccan lamb with preserved lemons and an array of spices on cous cous. I was certainly tempted. There’s beef fillet with caramelised onions, mushrooms and crispy potatoes, or kingklip in a prawn and herb veloute. There’s also a Thai green chicken curry. Naturally a burger is available. It’s home made and wrapped in bacon with a tomato relish. And pork belly or game dishes are available with prior arrangement.

Colin tucks into a good sole topped with a creamy prawn veloute (R202). Those fat crispy potato wedges are good. The Glass Guy relished his duck (R225) with an Asian inspired sauce, slaw and more of those crispy potato wedges. It was a generous portion. My slow braised oxtail (R182) was delicious and deeply flavourful. The meat just fell off the bones. It was served on a bed of mash. So good cooking all round.

For desserts we were told the key lime pie was off the menu, although the South Coaster sounded interesting. This was home-made praline ice cream with caramelised bananas in a brandy snap. Brandy snaps were also served with a whisky cream and mixed berry compote. Colin’s creme brulee (R92) is exactly what it should be. A lovely, smooth, rich custard topped with a thin cracking of burnt sugar. It too had a South Coast touch, garnished with bananas. I enjoyed the tiramisu (R86).

We finished with good espressos, the Glass Guy opting for an Irish.

I look forward to visiting them in their new venue when I’m next down the coast.

Food: 4

Service: 3 ½

Ambience: 3 ½

The Bill: R1 373 for three